Shadow Blade
by Hawki
Summary: Everything the Ghosts were, the Spectres were too and more. Everything the Ghost Program did, Project Shadow Blade sought to eclipse, secrecy included. Through a series of reports, insight into the nature of Project Shadow Blade has finally been granted.
1. Arrival

_A/N_

_It's hard to say about how I feel about the storyline of _StarCraft: Ghost_. On one hand, we're set to recieve it either way in the novel _Spectres_, which is a relief for me. On the other, I would have loved to play the game too. On one hand, it's being written by DeCandido, who did an excellent job with _Nova_. On the other, DeCandido's strength lies in world building rather than action-based narrative and having a Division of 22 individuals makes me wonder... Still, he fixed up his knowledge of such matters in time for the novelization of _Tiberium Wars_._

_Regardless, this is a fanon take into the nature of Project Shadow Blade, that which leads/has led to the creation of the Spectres. It's been a bumpy road (the full story is in my profile) but I've decided to post it._

* * *

**StarCraft: Shadow Blade**

**Subject: Project **_**Shadow Blade**_

**From: Commander Richard Walker**

**To: Classified**

**Entry 1: Arrival**

**Relative Date: January 8, 2502**

_The following is a report on Project Shadow Blade as per the request of Dominion Intelligence Section (DIS). This report has been made by Commander Richard Walker._

**/Begin Transcript/**

Even now I can recall the stale air of the Dropship, the air scrubbers either not working or being so ineffectual that the result was just the same. Dr. Alexander Ashcroft sat opposite me, though for all intents and purposes, he may as well have not been there, caught up in the research paper he was reading. Even in the gloom of the ship, I could make out his emerald eyes and gray hair. Dyed, of course. Nature occasionally throws defects into human development, but having gray hair at the age of twenty was something that I'd never heard of.

And considering what evolution has gifted the human mind with, if such a condition _did _exist, I think the trade would still be more than fair…

The pair of us had been assigned to the facility only a few days ago. The facility was nameless, not existing on the official level. The planet itself was somewhat more difficult to hide, but lacking a name in turn or even an alpha numeric designation, it wouldn't be appearing on a star map anytime soon.

Of course, I'd gotten used to this cloak and dagger stuff long ago. That was how the Ghost Program operated, developing psychic assassins to serve the Terran Confederacy. The existence of the Program had never been hidden from the general public but its intricacies weren't advertised either. Rumors of the Confederacy possessing psionic special forces spread throughout the Koprulu Sector but the Confederacy was already far ahead of its Umojan and Morian counterparts in technology, weapons among them. What did it matter if it had one more?

I can only guess that the Dominion considered it a vital matter, considering the overhaul that Arcturus Mengsk gave the Program. Completely confidential, relocated to Ursa, mind wipes becoming SOP… A former virtual simulation supervisor in the Confederate era, I was lucky to avoid the firing squad of the Executioner's Guild. It was thus even more surprising when I was assigned to an even more secret project, one that would take the Ghosts to the next level…

This was Project _Shadow Blade_, administered by General Horace Warfield. And as Ashcroft's notes no doubt told him, the key to its success was a gas known as terrazine…

We got off the Dropship together, having landed in an underground hanger. The Director was waiting for us, going by the name of Jones. I didn't ask any questions and nor did he. We walked 

as one and headed into a lift that would take us deeper into the facility. I don't recall exactly how long it took for us to reach the bottom level and didn't bother to watch the display, my mind on other things. Ashcroft had his head in his notes, acting as if neither of us were there. I don't think he intended to snuff us out of his little world, but he never had time for the little people. And given the subject matter, I could understand his interest.

Terrazine was the subject matter, a substance that borders between gas and plasma. In layman's terms, its atoms were ionized, but the electrons were not free from the protons and neutrons. However, electricity is still generated in terrazine and for some reason seemed attracted to the human brain upon ingestion of the gas. The theory held that it moved through iron in the blood to the brain where much of the body's electric energy is generated. This is similar to the process of active transport as opposed to the likes of diffusion and osmosis. Yet this was electric energy as opposed to matter.

Even now terrazine's properties continue to baffle our scientists, but its results back then could not be questioned. Inhaling terrazine was often fatal to a normal human, his or her brain frying itself due to the amount of electric energy. With those of a Psi Index of 5 or higher however and therefore possessing true psionic powers, there was a marked increase in their psychic abilities. However, the gas was too unstable to give any lasting effect, the individual's PI always returning to its original level after a matter of minutes.

Terrazine was useless as a chemical weapon due to the issue of reacting with surrounding elements. Similar in effect to cesium or francium coming into contact with oxygen, but without the lightshow. However, the concept of increasing a human's psionic ability was an enticing one. Much of the human body is kept in a state of equilibrium through homeostasis. And if that equilibrium could be adjusted to allow terrazine to bond with the subject's blood stream and consequently increase their psionic potential in the long term…

That was what _Shadow Blade _was all about. To create something even more powerful and deadly than what the Ghost Program could offer.

Of course, it would take time to make terrazine stable enough for this to occur and no short amount of test subjects would be required, all of them psionic. Mengsk had understood this and still given the go-ahead "for the good of humanity". Truth be told, I can't say that I possessed the same amount of conviction. The Ghost Program was a necessary evil. This however, was something else entirely…

We finally reached the bottom level, walking through a high security corridor before reaching our core test subject. Although cryogenic hibernation had made it hard to see, I could tell that the subject was male, in his early teens. According to Jonas, he'd been conscripted into the Ghost Program from a Fringe World, but an accident had landed him in a coma. Considering that Mengsk wanted results ASAP, he must have seen fit to hand the boy over to our own project, hoping to make good of him rather than let him spend the rest of his life as a vegetable.

Ashcroft had finally looked up from his notes by this point, uttering something that was either a curse or praise. As for myself…it pains me to say this, but looking at the kid made my doubts 

evaporate, coming to believe that there was little moral ambiguity in experimenting on someone…no, _something _so helpless and unaware. I knew that there was no turning back from here. I'd shook hands with the devil, but the ice of the child's tube could lessen the burns of hell's fire.

Come to think of it, I wonder if Warfield had this planned?


	2. Hindrances

**StarCraft: Shadow Blade**

**Subject: Project **_**Shadow Blade**_

**From: Commander Richard Walker**

**To: Classified**

**Entry 2: Hindrances**

**Relative Date: December 29, 2502**

**/Begin Transcript/**

It was on this date that it was reported in the media (state controlled of course) that a successful archeological expedition had been made to the protoss homeworld of Aiur. The full details escape me now, but it was reported that a Ziggurat (or _the _Ziggurat as it was stressed) had been uncovered on the war torn world. There was a great deal of fanfare in the media, the discovery being cited as proof that not only did the Terran Dominion still stand strong, but had already recovered from the Brood War that it could explore the galaxy for the sake of scientific discovery.

The hero of the story was a Dr. Frederick Thompson, cited as a Dominion patriot who knew where duty lay, was loyal to Emperor Mengsk, etc. The fact that he had travelled alone, had evaded a Dominion blockade (of course, considering the poor state the Dominion Armada was in at this point, that can't have been too difficult) and had died shortly after succumbing to starvation was edited out for reasons that I can guess at but don't care to do so. The fact that the Dominion Armada pulled back from Aiur after the incident so that no-one knew of the original blockade was also edited out, though the surge in rebel activity following the Brood War no doubt contributed to this.

The reason I bring this up is that Thompson was a renowned xenobiologist, even before the protoss and zerg revealed themselves to humanity. And given the nature of Project _Shadow Blade_, renown was something that none of us were going to achieve while working on it. It was a combination of these factors that caused Ashcroft to seethe with jealousy over the following days, infuriated that Thompson had received the spotlight while he was doomed to working in the darkness. I found his behavior to become increasingly irrational over the following weeks, the fact that Thompson was dead not alleviating his jealousy.

And at this point in time, jealousy was the last thing we needed…

Apart from Ashcroft's change in demeanor, December was just like every other month since the projected had started. No significant advances had been made in the application of terrazine, none of the scientists having lasted more than two hours. No matter the dosage and blood type, we couldn't make a subject come even close to what was originally envisioned and there were even suspicions that blood type may be a factor also. I tried to quell such rumors, but couldn't help but wonder myself. Humanity is a diverse species in terms of both phenotype and genotype, the human gene pool having been widened significantly during the 22nd century with the application of gene splicing and cybernetic technology to the population on Old Earth. If only certain individuals were compatible, not to mention that said inviduals had to be psychic…

…it would be a nightmare.

Regardless, the subjects kept coming. Another rumor started that even fully fledged Ghosts were being transferred to _Shadow Blade_, the staff split down the middle as to whether this was on the orders of Mengsk or Warfield. I didn't try to quell _these _rumors however, as I admit that I was beginning to believe them myself. I couldn't voice my opinions to Ashcroft however, for all I received was a snarl while he was carrying out some experiment or another, all of them unorganized. Jonas supplied new subjects constantly, but we all knew that this couldn't go on for much longer. The question was whether our sanity would expire before the number of psychics did.

It was hell.

But the original subject survived that hell. Terrazine never did him harm or good. Even when we moved him out of cryogenic hibernation into a neural buoyancy tank (where it would be easier to stimulate brain activity), his body and mind remained passive. Even when we put other subjects in similar conditions, they would inevitably expire…

…but why?

**/End Transcript/**

* * *

_A/N_

_As one can see, I tied in the storyline to that of Thompson, the one who found the Ziggurat as mentioned in the maps. I'd originally envisioned Valerian Mengsk to be having the honor, but decided against it. Firstly, although we don't know exactly when Arcturus took Valerian back to Korhal, it was probably later that 2502. Secondly, it would require Walker to know of Valerian's existance and given the nature of his work, I don't see any argument he could have for a "need to know basis"._

_As for the timing, Thompson's report mentions that he got past the blockade of Aiur. I can only assume that this was after the Brood War, as the very earliest the Dominion could quarantine Aiur would be in late 2500, after the return of Tassadar and co. However, if there _was _an armada, it would have to be withdrawn to defend Korhal, which would only leave it there for a few months. After the Brood War though, Mengsk having seen the state of Aiur when staying with Raynor and the protoss, may have wanted to quarantine the planet, to prevent the zerg from leaving. Obviously the blockade was withdrawn by the time Ramsey and Dahl reached Aiur in the DTS, but that still leaves quite a bit of time. As such, I chose it._


	3. Breakthrough

**StarCraft: Shadow Blade**

**Subject: Project **_**Shadow Blade**_

**From: Commander Richard Walker**

**To: Classified**

**Entry 3: Breakthrough**

**Relative Date: 2503**

**/Begin Transcript/**

2503 was a blurred year, as there was nothing to pierce the monotony that had settled upon the project for the most part. The title of the entry shows this. For the most part however, advances were non-existent and apart from Ashcroft's return to his own self, nothing had changed for ages.

In hindsight, I should have known that it was inevitable that Ashcroft would return to normal, that it was only a matter of time before he regained his pride after Thompson's discovery. A child prodigy, Ashcroft had entered university at the age of ten in the fields of biology and chemistry. At the age of 14, he'd completed his doctorate with PhDs in those subjects. And in '02, at the age of eighteen, he was appointed as our head researcher.

Over the time I worked with him, I noticed that Ashcroft had an almost self-righteous approach to his research, seeing knowledge as the highest virtue and all else as secondary. If his view to the numerous subjects that came our way, even human life fell within the secondary category. Even now though, I can't condemn him for this. _Shadow Blade _had that effect on all of us. Or maybe it was just due to the fact that he was, for all his arrogance (even dying his hair gray to make himself look venerable), brilliant at his work. However, for all of Ashcroft's brilliance, it was from another source that we would gain our breakthrough.

It was at some point during the year that we received word of a development in the Dominion's so-called "Xeno Division". I was never granted the clearance to know its true designation but I knew of its work. We all did. Research into alien technology and biology, how to use said aspects against said aliens, etc. For these reasons, it had a close relationship with R&D. And its latest creation had the white collars in the Division salivating.

Apparently, Xeno Division had created a parasitical organism through pure genetic modification, similar to the ones utilized by zerg Queens. Through extensive research during the Great War, it had been learnt how these parasites allowed the zerg to see whatever the subject saw and under an extensive period, could even bring the subject under zerg control, albeit with a decrease in sanity and deductive capabilities. It wasn't until the arrival of the United Earth Directorate that these parasites were able to be safely removed, courtesy of nano-conveyed anesthetic and attenuated lasers.

This new parasite, appropriately designated as _Iris_, gave full control of the host, albeit without a decrease in intelligence. The subject's actions could thus be guided by a controller. The scientists had utilized captured zerg Overlords and fitted them with cyber technology linked with both mind and body. As such, not only were these Overlords under our control, but also those they controlled. If one considers the former hierarchy of the zerg, you could compare us to the Overmind, the Overlords to Cerebrates and the test subjects to minions.

The problem with the parasite was that it bonded with the subject's nervous system rather…violently, to say the least. Similar in principle to paraplegia, how certain aspects of an individual's nervous system are damaged beyond repair, limiting his or her abilities. _Iris _however, caused damage to the _entire nervous system_, ensuring that all brain activity would cease within a matter of hours.

It had been theorized however, that psychics would be able to withstand the implantation and subsequent bonding better, psionics acting as a buffer between any mental damage. _Iris _inadvertently shut down brain activity, but the amount of brain activity in a psychic is far greater than that of an ordinary human. What if the brain could remain active enough for mutualism to occur between human and parasite as opposed to destructive parasitism?

This was just a theory however, and _Shadow Blade _was already using up more than the preferred amount of psychics, not to mention that an _Iris _was difficult to develop. As such, a request was made for the usage of our "pet test subject". The kid in embryonic stasis to be exact. Given his record of stability, he seemed like the perfect candidate to test the psionic theory.

As you can imagine, Ashcroft and I were vehemently opposed to the idea. "The kid" (that's what we always referred to him as, having grown too 'fond' of him to use a codename) was our most valuable specimen and there was no guarantee that he would survive the process. He'd survived numerous experiments involving terrazine, but _Iris _was something else.

Warfield thought otherwise however, seeing the kid as expendable. Upon receiving his message, I began to suspect that the general had decided to throw in the towel. Or maybe Mengsk had. Regardless, I was past caring. I wasn't going to go up against the brass and frankly, the idea of creating psychic Special Forces with abilities beyond that of the Ghosts seemed to be doomed to remain in the conceptual stage. Ashcroft protested of course, but it fell on deaf ears.

Even then, it had become clear to me that if it _was _possible to see Project _Shadow Blade _to completion, it was beyond my capability to be the one to lead it to its end.

Eventually the day came, Ashcroft and I being accompanied by scientists from Xeno Division. The parasite was injected into the subject and we waited to the results to unfold. At first, all seemed normal. Suddenly however, the parasite disappeared off the scanners, seemingly being 'absorbed' by the subject. Simultaneously, his PI started rising, along with the rest of his body functions. Osmosis, respiration, mitosis… For all intents and purposes, the parasite had _cured _him. At the time, no-one knew what had happened…

…any more than that we had witnessed the beginning of the end.

**/End Transcript/**


	4. Aftermath

**StarCraft: Shadow Blade**

**Subject: Project **_**Shadow Blade**_

**From: Commander Richard Walker**

**To: Classified**

**Entry 4: Aftermath**

**Relative Date: 2504, September 23**

**/Begin Transcript/**

Perhaps "aftermath" is the wrong entry title for this report, given that more than a year has passed since I left _Shadow Blade _to return as a supervisor to the Ghost Program on Ursa. Looking back on SB however, it feels like I still _am _in the aftermath, that no time has passed at all. Of course, travelling through warp space doesn't grant one a distinct sense of time, the _Mammoth_-class Carrier that I'm currently on being no exception, but even so…

Regardless, this is the last entry of this report. And I intend to tell the rest of what I know about _Shadow Blade_.

As it was, _Iris _was denied entry into the subject by the terrazine in his system. The result was akin to the mutualism that those of Xeno Division had desired, as opposed to parasitism, but diverged from what they had originally conceived. This was due to the fact that _Iris _acted as a catalyst to the resumption of the subject's body functions, which in turn bonded with the terrazine. It was as if _Iris _was never meant to act as a controlling organism, but simply one to alter a human's physiology to make him or her be able to bond with terrazine.

I don't fully understand the process and to be frank, I doubt I ever would have even if I'd stayed. Regardless, Warfield settled on making the implantation of the parasite SOP, all Specters set to receive such treatment. I'm willing to hazard a guess that Ghosts will remain in service for the foreseeable future, even if Mengsk _did _recently terminate half the program's agents in an "overhaul." Specters outclass Ghosts in every way, albeit for a much higher production cost. And even now, three years after the Brood War, the Dominion is still recovering from the damage inflicted against it.

Not sure about the cybernetic Overlords that were developed though, or "Brain Specters" as they've been called. I suppose Xeno Division will have to find a use or more likely, simply terminate them. Good riddance.

My story ended with the new direction that _Shadow Blade _took, the idea of directed agents going against my instinct as to what would make effective Special Forces. Numerous other stories ended as well. Jonas transferred to the Ghost Program and to be honest, I'm not surprised. As he's higher than me in the chain of command I'm not in a position to criticize him. However, I _am _willing to say that the level of similarity he poses to Director Kevin Bick is equivalent to the amount of difference Bick possesses to his predecessor Ilsa Killiany…

…a spineless sycophant to be honest.

Ashcroft is a different kettle of fish entirely. I don't know who dropped him on the head in his childhood, but they certainly did a good job of screwing him up. He was perturbed that he couldn't take public fame for his role in the project, believing that he was the one who led it to success. I suppose a case can be made for this, but the fact remains that it was merely by a fluke that _Shadow Blade _had succeeded at all. Unable to revoke the confidential status of _Shadow Blade_, he promptly resigned.

I don't know what happened to Ashcroft. Probably terminated, all things considered. Not that I'll shed a tear.

Looking back, there's so much we discovered over the past three years, yet so much we didn't. I myself am posed with unanswered questions. I never discovered who the boy was-his name, his history… He was so important to all of us, yet we knew so little about him. But maybe that's for the best. Maybe it's best if I just leave _Shadow Blade _behind me…

…because right now all I want to do is sleep.

**/End Transcript/**

* * *

**1806 hours, September 24, 2504 (SCT)**

**Osiris System, Planet CC18-26**

**Classified Location**

With a smirk, General Horace Warfield closed the file that contained the data that Walker had sent him. Even now, the general was surprised as to how easy it had been, filing in a false request for Walker to transmit data on his role in _Shadow Blade_, doing so under the pretense that the data was being sent to DIS. Instead, Walker's report had gone straight to Warfield, filling the man in to Walker's thoughts on the project and any other bits of information that might have escaped his notice.

_And how agreeable you were too… _Warfield mused, continuing down the corridor flanked by two guards. He was satisfied that Walker could hold his tongue in the Ghost Program and not go blabbing about his experiences over the past few years. The man was weak willed, but for all his assertions of not understanding aspects of _Shadow Blade_, he was still intelligent. For now, he would continue to be of use to the Dominion.

_Not so sure about Ashcroft though, _Warfield mused, typing in his personal code to access the facility's most secure room. He shook his head. Ashcroft would probably have to be dealt with in time.

But so would all things of course. No-one knew how far Warfield's influence spread, how he'd ordered Xeno Division to develop _Iris _under the pretense that it was a separate project from _Shadow Blade_, how the "unexpected direction" that SB had taken was the direction that Warfield 

had envisioned all along. _Shadow Blade _was far larger than what Walker thought. Or anyone else for that matter…

But all things occurred in time, the announcement that the draining of the stasis tank being testament to that.

"How's he doing?" asked Warfield to one of the scientists.

"All readings indicate that the subject is in peek condition sir," answered the white collar. "He should be regaining consciousness soon."

Warfield nodded, looking at the specimen. It had taken a full year to reach this stage after the 'unexpected' result of the implantation of _Iris_. The parasite may have revived the subject's functions, but plenty of other work had to be done. Strengthen muscle density, psychotherapy, accelerated aging… It would shorten the subject's lifespan, but Warfield was willing to make that sacrifice. He'd been willing to do these things ever since Mengsk had appointed him to replace the deceased Edmund Duke.

The general couldn't help but smile as the subject was laid out on the operating table, ready to be awakened as the first Spectre. He would operate under the codename of _Charon_-he who ferried the dead to the afterlife. With a nod, Warfield walked out, knowing that there was little to see, as it would be carried out many times on numerous telepaths, all of them to be Specters. All of them to be a new line of Special Forces to go beyond even that of the Ghosts. All of them loyal to a true master, one who wasn't Mengsk…

…and the boy who was once known as Johnny Raynor would be the first of them.

**Not the End**


End file.
